The Once and Future King, or King Arthur, is a legend that is, despite its age, known by all. Everyone has heard of King Arthur and his loyal knights that make up the Round Table, but the rest of the famous legend is less known. If asked about Arthur’s parentage or birthplace, most people would not know. How many people can name off Arthur’s knights? Everyone knows Arthur’s name, but the details are less defined. Arthurian legend has many parts, the first being how Arthur came into being, then the most well-known part of the legend, but there is also his famous knights, the possibility of a historical Arthur, and how the legend has evolved over the ages.
One thing that is unique about the Arthurian legend is that it has a story to set up the main part of the legend. It traces back to Arthur’s grandfather and follows the betrayals and murders to Arthur’s uncle, Aurelius Ambrosius, who is killed by poison, leaving the crown to Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon. Merlin is also first introduced in the beginning part of the legend. Arthur’s conception is not how one would expect it to be. It begins when Uther falls in love with Igraine, wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Gorlois notices Uther’s advances on his wife and as a result, decides to leave court, taking Igraine with him. Uther takes offense to Gorlois’s sudden departure and orders him to return to court. Gorlois refuses and accordingly, Uther and his royal army march onto Gorlois’s land. Gorlois then put Igraine in Tintagel Castle, a fortress found on the shore that could only be approached by a narrow ridge, and rode out with his own forces to meet the royal army. Merlin gave Uther a potion that gave Uther the appearance of Gorlois and then Uther went to Tintagel where he en...
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...eryone knows about Lancelot, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the story of Arthur’s downfall. Those are the parts that everyone has at least heard of, whether it be through movies or books, but there are parts that many people do not know. The story of how Arthur came to be, the names and stories of Arthur’s knights, the possibility of a historic Arthur, and the evolution of the legend through literature are all parts of the King Arthur story that people do not remember, but are a part of it nonetheless.
Works Cited
"Arthurian Legend." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. MAS Ultra -
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Berthold, Paul. "Arthur--Man Or Myth?." In Britain 7.11 (1997): 21. Academic Search Premier.
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Ashe, Geoffrey. The Discovery of King Arthur. New York: Henry Holt, 1985. 3-24.Google Scholar.
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King Arthur, a courageous man, who was able to pull out a sword from a rock as simple as possible. As for everyone else who tired, it was almost impossible. This was just the beginning stage of Arthur becoming a king. The thing that Merlin didn’...
Many people wish to be an animal if only for a day, just to see what it is like to be that animal. The obvious problem is that nobody knows how to turn himself into an animal. However, in T.H. White's Once and Future King, Wart has the opportunity to experience life as an animal because his tutor, Merlyn the magician, transforms him into many different animals. Of all the adventures, the most significant transformation to Wart's kingship occurs when he becomes a badger because the badger teaches Wart valuable lessons about human behavior.
Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; a devoted circle of heroic knights; mighty castles and mightier deeds; a time of chivalry and courtly love; of Lancelot and Guinevere; of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.
Whites version of the sword in the stone legend although altered through the introduction of animal, god like, and fairy tale characters still engulfs the reader into the telling’s of the Arthurian world. The Sword in the Stone is enjoyable to readers of all ages through its enchantment of the telling of a young King Arthur. White cleverly connects all the adventures of Arthur throughout his book to give a cartoon like visual that tie all the loose ends together for the reader.
Yet his tale also combines a quest for holy things (eldilic help through Merlin) to heal the sickness of the land with a great, climactic battle against evil, thus merging the two characters' functions as well as their attributes. Also, as in earlier versions of the story, the Pendragon disappears after his final battle is completed, and the crowning conflict itself takes place in a dense fog which obscures everything. When Merlin arrives, his full name is given as Merlinus Ambrosius, the name he is given in one of his earliest appearances in Arthurian literature, Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Brittaniae.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver (London: Oxford UP, 1975) 124-25.
The Arthurian cycle shows a sporadic awareness of the impossibility of mere humans fulfilling all the ideals that Arthur and his court represent. The story of Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin's imprisonment by Nimu‘, and numerous other instances testify to the recognition of this tension between the real and the unrealistic.
T. H. White's The Once and Future King is one of the most complete and unique portrayals of the immortal legend of King Arthur. Though it has been in print for less than half a century, it has already been declared a classic by many, and is often referred to as the "bible" of Arthurian legend. White recreates the epic saga of King Arthur, from his childhood education and experiences until his very death, in a truly insightful and new way. This is not, however, the first complete novel of Arthur's life. In the fifteenth century, Sir Thomas Malory wrote Morte d'Arthur, the first complete tale of Arthur's life. Since then, a countless number of books have been written on the subject, yet none can compare to The Once and Future King. It has easily become the most popular of all the Arthurian novels as it is loved by both children and adults. Though similar in many ways to other works of the same subject, such as Malory's, White gives new details, meanings, and insightful modernization to the story, giving it an earthy quality, which the reader can identify with. White's rendering of the Arthurian legend differs from the traditional versions in that he includes contemporary knowledge and concepts, adds new stories and characters to the legend, and provides new perspectives by probing deeper into the existing tales.
The Legend of King Arthur is in comparison to The Epic of Gilgamesh because Arthur's closest companion was Merlin, and Gilgamesh's closest companion was Enkidu and neither Gilgamesh nor Arthur forgot their friends. Enkidu only came in contact with Gilgamesh after becoming a man. Enkidu released the animals from the hunter's traps when they ere caught, so to make him a man the prostitute slept with him so that the animals would be ashamed of him and reject him. King Arthur became aware of Merlin when he was a young man. When Arthur was born Merlin placed him in the care of Sir Ector, throughout his boyhood Arthur learned the ways of chivalry, knighthood and how to become a gentleman. At the tournament one day Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone and this is what brought upon Arthur meeting Merlin once again. In The Legend of King Arthur, Merlin exclaimed, "it is the doom of men if they forget." Gilgamesh along with Enkidu together fought and killed Humbaba, protector of the Cedar forest, and the Bull of Heaven, sent as punishment to Gilgamesh for killing Humbaba. King Arthur nor Gilgamesh forgot their faithful friends.
‘I love Guenevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance of the land of Cameliard, who holdeth in his house the table round that ye told me had been given to him by my father Uther. And this damsel is the most valiant and fairest lady that I know living, or yet that ever I could find.’ ‘Sir,; said Merlin, ‘as of her beauty and fairness she is one of the fairest alive (The Marriage of King Arthur).
Malory, Thomas, and Keith Baines.Malory's Le morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the legends of the Round Table. 1962. Reprint, New York: New American Library, 2010.
Many can see that throughout the film that King Arthur and his knights were on a noble quest to find the Holy Grail. This quest is much like another many know, the reading Beowulf. Beowulf goes on a quest to defeat all of the evil that was attacking herot or was a threat to herot. Another reading that is much like
"Arthurian Legends." U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 120-124. Gale World History In Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
Stories of kings and queens have captivated readers for centuries, and arguably, the tales of King Arthur and Guinevere are among the most enchanting. Arthur ruled the kingdom of Camelot, and Guinevere was his queen. But were they real people or fictional characters? The debate has continued for centuries. Though many scholars have found evidence that the legendary Arthur was, at the very least, based on a real person who lived in Britain roughly between 450 and 1[Marker for question 1] 500 CE. They continue to search for the historical identity of Guinevere.
The Arthurian legends are well known in today's society. However, very few people know of the "real" Arthur -- who he was and what his accomplishments were. This paper will establish a difference between legend and truth, show evidence to support and explain who the real Arthur was, and shed some light on the sometimes confusing Arthurian legends.